Oracle
by Lucy Morningstar
Summary: The smell of war is imminent, and Sesshoumaru is tasked by his mother to find out what stands in the future of their lands. The answers he seek however, depend on the time-travelling Kagome.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and its respective owners. =(

**CHAPTER ONE: The Oracle**

"Our spies have returned last night," she told him, "and every word they proclaim is much more the same. A man from the province of Owari is gathering troops for a new uprising. There is a great cloud of confusion and fear among the human warlords."

"And our demonkind?"

"Our messenger has yet to return from the north. We sent him two days ago."

Sesshoumaru strolled to the banister lining the corridors, his hands kept tightly behind his back. An inscrutable flicker seemed to pass his face, or perhaps it was the play of shadows, furnished by the burning lantern hanging above.

"What do we know of this man from Owari?" he asked.

The sleeves of his mother's kimono rustled quietly from behind. She seemed to ponder for a moment, considering her words, and then she said in a low whisper, "There is talk he has _bakemono_ blood in him."

_Bakemono_. The monsters, or _youkai_ in another word. _Their_ kind. But something told him the man from Owari could not be wholly demon, for if he was, he would have sent a message to them.

"I don't have a good hunch about this man. Sesshoumaru, you must seek Hijikamon the master _tengu_ who lives in Mount Takao. He shall clear the fog of doubt in our minds."

Sesshoumaru turned his head to his mother, his eyes a spark. Hijikamon was an old bird, revered in the demon circle for his prodigious powers, art of combat and wisdom. A devout ascetic who preferred being holed up somewhere in the mountains—getting a hold on Hijikamon would be a problematic task, even for him. It didn't help that the _tengu_ was extremely unapproachable.

"Mother," Sesshoumaru protested. His voice had caught rigid in his throat.

"This isn't your mother talking," she snapped. "I'm ordering you as the Dowager Lady of the Western lands. Seek out Hijikamon's counsel, and for once, Sesshoumaru, do not be rude. Treat him like the god he is."

"Any other proxies you can suggest?" he then asked, refusing to argue.

His mother's kimono swished around again. A breeze came, gentle and slight, whispering into the castle, and he closed his eyes, allowing its feathery tendrils to trace his face and neck.

"Well, there is that human _miko_ who fought Naraku alongside with you five years ago."

Sesshoumaru whirled around this time, almost expecting a smile on his mother's face but there was none; her face was severe and to be honest, it unsettled him. There had been no human priestess that fought_ alongside_ with him. In fact there was no one at all.

"If you're referring to the _gaijin_…"

"_Gaijin_ or not, she's your little sister-in-law, no matter how much you hate it." There was a subtle, sadistic lilt to her voice and Sesshoumaru frowned. "Rumours say she hails from the future, five hundred years from now. Is that true?"

"I would know nothing of her."

"If the rumours are true, then she should know what lies ahead of us. It should have been written in the history texts of her world."

"Mother," said Sesshoumaru again. He gazed into her eyes; there was a twinkle in them—bloodlust? merriment as his discomfort? or simply the lantern light?—and when he spoke, his voice was strong, unwavering and resolute.

"I will find Hijikamon, and he will reveal what he needs to."

A smile crept to his mother's red lips, and the twinkle in her eyes seemed to be livelier than ever. Somewhere, a wind-chime chinked softly as if signaling someone's arrival.

She walked off down the long length of the corridor, briskly, the long train of her robe trailing behind her feet. Sesshoumaru watched her. Her hurried voice echoed into his ears from the distance.

"Hijikamon is an extremely passive demon—but whatever you do, _do not_ aggravate him."

Sesshoumaru turned away and muttered a curse. That strange human lass? He never thought of her as a _miko_, even though the others had found the title becoming for her. To him, all along, she had been a fault in the pathway of time, a foreigner who had crashed onto their world. The word "_gaijin_" seemed to fit her more than anything, for that was what she was, and nothing more.

An outlander.

* * *

There was a mad scuttling in the deep forested area of Mount Takao below them—a low rumbling of guttural noises, some heavy swish-sloshing of trees and loud thumping of what could only be a pair of great legs. A gigantic amount of youki discharged from the spaces between the tree canopies, radiating out to her face like heat-waves. Kagome strained her eyes. She could only see slight movement of the trees from above.

_What on Earth—?_

"Kirara," she called, pointing to where the scuttling was taking place, and the _neko-youkai_ swooped down from above the skies, diving at such an incredible speed that Kagome had to dig her legs into the cat's furry sides to prevent herself from falling.

Kirara's paws touched the ground, silent as night. She turned and purred to Kagome but the young woman was too fixated, staring at the spectacle taking place a few meters ahead.

There was a tall, wide figure—obviously a demon from the copious amount of _youki_ pouring out from him—and a large pair of black bird-like wings perched from his back, erect in anger. He was wearing _geta_ clogs, the kind that have only one support bar beneath them, and these clogs were kicking and stomping at a spot inside the thick undergrowth that grew in wild abandon around them. _BOOM-BOOM-BOOM_, he went. And then suddenly he stopped, and turned.

Kagome's mouth grew apart, trying to swallow the scream that was bursting from her throat. _No, don't scream_, she thought. _Don't scream or_—

On the demon's face sat the largest nose ever. It pointed to her straight like an arrow, almost like a thick accusatory finger. That was the first thing. The second thing Kagome noticed, with growing horror, was his skin. It was bright scarlet, as if deeply inflamed and thick, white hairy eyebrows and sprouting whiskers framed that large, fearsome face. His eyes were slits, staring back at her. Kagome wasn't sure if he was literally red with rage, or if he was really, red.

This was no doubt, the legendary _tengu_. All the way through her adventures with Inuyasha, she had never laid her eyes on one, and now she was alone, in the wake of this _tengu_'s utter ferocity. The_ tengu_, from what she knew, were great demons not to be taken lightly of. They were experts in martial combat, and there were stories of famous swordsmen who had learnt their art from these creatures. But right now that wasn't important. Right now the _tengu_ was staring at her, his great big nose flaring as if he was about to charge forward like a mad bull towards her.

Kagome took a step back, not realizing she was clutching onto Kirara's scruff like a hand-bar.

"And what do we have here?! Another intruder?" The _tengu_ bellowed deep from his stomach, his voice a blast of wind to her face.

"What is it with you people disturbing my sleep? Why can't you leave me alone?! Meddling, intruding, prying people!"

He stomped one clog-clad foot forward, his body heaving, lunging towards her. His head cocked sharply to the left, like a curious turkey. His gathered fists resembled pair of large fireballs.

_God. He looks extremely pissed. He's going to kill me now. Shit. I shouldn't have come down here._

"Snooping, tampering, nosey people!"

_Nosey, that's a good one, coming from him._

Kirara roared at him, loud and ferocious—and something awoke in Kagome's eyes. Her hand swiped out an arrow from her quiver, stringing it tight against her bow. Her arm stretched forward, stiff, aimed towards his eye.

"Don't come near me or I'll shoot!" Kagome shouted.

This seemed to rile up the demon even further. He threw back his head, sucking air noisily through those great nostrils of his.

"You want to _shoot_ me?! You want to shoot the great Hijikamon!"

"I won't if I don't have to!"

"How blasphemous! You lot are vile, nasty, rude animals! I shall have naught to do with you all!"

And then the large wings of the _tengu_ started to flap with violent whipping sounds, and a gale appeared from nowhere, threatening to blow Kagome off. She shielded her eyes, grasping onto Kirara's fur for dear life. The trees were almost doubling over, and the dead leaves fluttered against her red _hakama_. The wind shrieked in her ears in an anguished cry.

Kagome was still cowering when the _tengu_ was gone and the air no longer howled.

The bushes rustled. Something moved in the undergrowth.

She gasped and lowered her arm, staring at the spot where the _tengu_ had been stamping on mere seconds ago. There was something, or _someone_ in there. Kagome stood up straight, wondering who it was that had incurred the wrath of Hijikamon.

Before she could step forward to offer help, a head popped out from the bushes. Kagome's heart lurched and her eyes brightened.

_Was that—it couldn't be—but the hair—_

But it wasn't. When the person stood up, tall and straight—a miracle after the grievous clog-induced assault— Kagome's heart plummeted to her stomach.

Standing there was Sesshoumaru. At that moment he didn't look much like the Lord of the Western Lands; everything about him was in a more disarrayed state than the last time Kagome saw him. His face was dirty, although nary a scratch, his long hair unkempt around his shoulders. His pelt was threatening to fall off from him, and a deep crack ran along his chest plate.

_Brother-in-law_, her thoughts diverged.

Sesshoumaru hurled his gaze at her, as though she was a harsh strobe of light and his eyes hurt to see her.

For a while his name seemed to be lost in Kagome's memory. Then she found it, and her tongue was hesitant, tentative.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome called. His eyes glowered back.

"Why did you come to interfere?" Sesshoumaru's voice was a bark, jolting her. "Now Hijikamon has left for good, because of you."

He stepped away from the bushes and strode off. His right hand trembled. _I should kill her_, Sesshoumaru thought. The need was so strong that he had to grit back his teeth to restrain himself.

Kagome's mind was in a muddle as she watched Sesshoumaru sifting through the tall grass and tangly vines. She bit her lower lip. _He's angry I saw him in such an undignified state. But still, he needn't be such an ass about it._

"I saved you from that awful _tengu_," she declared, aloud.

A silence came like a barrier between them, one so intense, Kagome thought she had gone deaf. Her words—it sounded like an accusation.

Sesshoumaru stilled, and then he whirled around slowly. His eyes were ablaze with fury, like burning embers and when a glare lashed at her, Kagome flinched, expecting it to hurt.

"_Gaijin_," he spat. "No one saved _anyone_."

Then he turned, and disappeared into the forest. Kagome staggered, blinking in confusion and she would have fell, if she hadn't felt Kirara brushing against her back.

Her hands sought for the cat's warmth, running through the dense fur; faithful old Kirara, and the cat gave back an affectionate growl. Kagome mounted on her back slowly. A downcast gloom hovered over her face.

"Let's go," she muttered, and then to no one in particular, "Asshole."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO **

"The Dowager Lady has heard of your failed attempt to contact with Hijikamon. She is not pleased."

A muscle on his face twitched when he heard the word "failure." Sesshoumaru retained his composure, locking his eyes instead on the full moon that hung on the vast sky before him; a celestial king accompanied by his stars.

"I did meet Hijikamon. But he refused to deal with me."

"She believes you have angered him so."

Sesshoumaru sneered at the moon.

"I did not. The interfering human did." _And I should have punished her for it._

"You called him "an old senile fowl" when he refused to emerge from his cave, and then he chased you out and gave you a thrashing."

"And she supposes I should have attacked him back, and incurred the wrath of the entire _tengu_ kingdom?"

A frustrated hand weaved through his hair and gripped at the back of his head, before releasing his fingers as quick. Sesshoumaru circled the edge of the cliff that overlooked the view of the dark mountainous regions, held ambiguous by the abstruse fog. His shoes stomped past the kneeling messenger that had come bearing a message from his mother, and his steps covered a few metres ahead before stopping.

"Would you tell Mother to stop sending spies to watch me?" he snapped. "This Sesshoumaru can handle this small matter perfectly on my own, _without_ her supervision."

The messenger kept silent. His was a figure draped in thick, black robes that helped him to submerge into the shadows. His head hung low, hidden eyes focused on the dry, sandy ground beneath his feet. A picture of subservience. Tonight under the full moon's omniscient eye, his lord was suffering from one of his rare tempers—and it would be good to hold one's tongue and not say anything unnecessary, if one intended to keep his life.

"She suggests you take the alternative route, milord."

"You mean the _miko_?" A tone of high disbelief played on the word "_miko_"—perhaps a touch of amusement as well. "The same interfering cretin that foiled my plan?"

The messenger paused for a while. "Yes milord."

"Go back," Sesshoumaru ordered. "Go back and tell Mother I will do no such thing. We _bakemono_ do not need to stoop so low as to ask for a human's help."

The messenger stiffed.

"After all, this is _our _land."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, shutting himself off. The conversation was over. Pride singed in his chest as he kept his head high.

"Very well, milord." The messenger rose on his haunches slightly, shuffled backwards and in a quiet flash, vanished into the night.

Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder to ensure the messenger was gone. His right hand trembled again for the second time that day. He grabbed his face and ran his palm down.

_What am I so angry about? There is so much frustration inside me, wanting to explode._

All these matters of dealing with humans were troubling him. He was never required to negotiate with them in the past. They were trifling creatures, not long ago. But now they were getting smarter, more organized, and their numbers tripled to outnumber the demon army. And now he had to acquire their assistance? Had the demon force become so weak?

Sesshoumaru cursed, remembering his mother's words. _Whatever you do, _do not_ aggravate him. _And now as fate had it, he _had _done the very thing he was not supposed to. Hijikamon would never leave his cave for another hundred years.

A sigh escaped the demon lord. He had the _miko_ to consider now—an utmost distasteful option to ponder about, especially after the unwarranted encounter this afternoon.

The gods must be snickering at him from high above.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Kirara's hunting nose had led them here to Mount Takao, and regardless of the unfortunate _tengu_ incident, Kagome was sure that there was something else in this place too. She didn't feel it in her gut; she felt it in her chest, in the air pouring into her lungs that somehow, _Inuyasha was here_.

And earlier that day, they had found something which confirmed her suspicions to a disturbing degree, and it felt like a punch through her heart.

Inuyasha's _kotodama_ rosary was lying in the grass, wholly intact. Kirara had picked up its scent at least two miles away from where they had landed.

If he was really here, it would take days to scour through the mountain wilds. But that was not the point. The question was what he was doing here in the first place.

And the removal of the _kotodama _rosary around his neck—did it meant anything?

She spent the next few days pondering over the little questions in her head. They crammed and jostled around in her brain, swimming and throbbing around her temples, making her sick with nausea.

There was another thing. Kagome was expelling excessive amounts of spiritual energy than required. Her spirit was not at peace, stirred by her wild wonderings. It was raging, her spirit; tumultuous and turbulent, a squirming mass of half-solid, half-liquid matter, convulsing madly inside a vessel.

When Kagome hunted for kill for example, she would be exerting her spiritual strength simply to shoot down a hare. She would be dead tired by the end of the day, too tired to find dinner, and Kirara would come pattering from behind, pushing her cold nose against Kagome's hand as the cat presented with her own kill, presumably for them both. Most of the times the animal would already be so badly mangled, its entrails hanging from Kirara's jaws. For situations in such, Kirara was only good for fire.

One noon, Kagome burnt her finger while she was stoking a fire. What jolted her was not the pain, but of the realization that she had been too possessed by her agitated state.

_I can't stay like this. I need to get myself together and stop worrying of the worst._

In their journey Kagome and Kirara passed by a small waterfall tucked well within the dense foliage of the mountains. A little further, a gorge yawned wide, deep and precarious. It was an ideal spot for her, and Kagome decided to camp there for the night.

Kagome fingered the_ kotodama_ rosary, each bead a chant. She was sitting inside a crevice inside the waterfall that was large enough to house her figure. A tall curtain of rain streamed before her, shielding from the outside world. Kagome's white robe and red culottes were well drenched, and they clung to her skin like a cold lizard's skin. It was dark and dank in that little space, where it smelled of moss and decaying matter. Right now spiders and centipedes were the least in her mind, as she buried herself in her meditation. Somewhere at the back of her mind, the sound of cascading water played continuously and it reassured her, in a strange therapeutic way.

Kaede had taught her how to meditate; how to harness the energy of nature to cleanse her spirit, before she had passed away. Kagome liked to picture a vast field, the sun a bright yellow coin above, the edges of the woods lining the background, and above the crowns of the trees were the rising and dipping contours of the grand mountains, greyish-blue. And all of them, the sun and the mountains and the trees and the field were in commune with her spirit. They were her, and she was them.

There was a small shadow flitting inside the woods. An animal? Strange how it had materialized there without her consent. She focused her energy on the dark spot, and her internal vision zoomed in. It was a man and, no—not a man, a _demon_—and he was strong and wielded an incredible amount of power. The demon stood still, watching her, his face partly hidden in the trees, and he was as vague as he could get. Kagome pushed herself further, until the back of her eyes strained, making her dizzy. She needed to see that face, that face in the woods…

Something glinted, a sparkle. A pair of eyes that burned like glowing embers lashing back at her, and suddenly his image became stark clear.

A loud piercing cry rang out. Kagome's eyes flew open. Her concentration broke. Kirara. She blinked around at the surrounding rocky walls, her heart fluttering against her ribcage like a trapped bird. Her body was chilly with sweat, drops of it running past her temples.

_Did something happen to Kirara?_

Kagome dashed out to her campsite. There, she saw two huge cats with forked tails mauling at each other— one of them was Kirara—and there was a loud commotion of roaring and yowling and whimpering, as they tackled each other with their sharp claws and teeth. If they had been small, house-sized kitties, this would have looked like nothing but a normal catfight.

The new cat was slightly larger, with thick unruly fur and in the night, he was a shade of chestnut brown with dark stripes over his head. Spittle drooled from his snarling black lips. He was ferocious, and attacked Kirara without a sense of tact.

Kagome looked on, confused. Where the hell did this new cat come from?

Kirara's body flung to the ground in a heavy thud, and Kagome found herself searching for her bow and arrows. Kirara's safety was her responsibility now, especially since she had snuck the cat right underneath Sango's nose in the dead of the night. Sango wouldn't be pleased if Kirara were to suddenly return home, scarred.

"Stupid cat!" she yelled, aiming an arrow at him. "Get the hell away from Kirara!"

Chestnut paused, and his face and ears drew back into a hiss. An impatient tom-cat, no doubt about that—and Kagome didn't feel the least bit guilty if she was going to deprive Kirara of one night of passion.

The cats embroiled in a tangle of fur and tails once again, and Kagome found herself unable to find a good spot on Chestnut to shoot. Their bodies were constantly twisting and shifting in a mad struggle for domination. It went on for a few minutes. Kagome's arm was aching as her eyes searched around frantically. Then there!—she spied an opening and the arrow flew off.

A blood-curdling roar filled her ears and Chestnut fled. Kagome watched with open-mouthed horror; Kirara was writhing on the ground with the arrow firmly wedged in her side. It sizzled into her skin with a pale blue glow.

"_Kirara_!"

_Oh god! _She raced to Kirara's side and wasted no time in yanking the arrow out. An ugly wound was already manifesting—the fur had burnt off, leaving a gash of scorching flesh. _Oh god oh god!_

Kirara's hind legs thrashed, then she stopped moving completely.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The fat pigeon picked at the soil, its head bobbing in an amusing manner as it searched for grub to eat. Then an arrow pierced its head, point-blank and swift, and it dropped to the grass in a second.

"Impressive," said someone from behind, "for a little human _miko_."

Kagome restrained from glaring at Sesshoumaru, and withdrew her bow. She had felt his predatory gaze since morning; the image she imagined was a tiger stalking a drinking gazelle. The demonic heat of his aura breathed down her neck throughout the entire time. She wondered if he knew she knew.

"State your business," she said, striding through the tall grass towards the pigeon. "I have a lot of things to do." She knelt at the dead bird, and pulled out the arrow in one deft movement. Then she tossed the bird inside the satchel that hung from her shoulder, and it tumbled into another kill, that looked just like it.

"I came here to seek answers, and answers I will get. If not from Hijikamon, then from you."

"What makes you think I have the answers you want?"

Seshoumaru smiled at her, a cruel wry smile, but she couldn't see it. "Why, it's the specialty of the _gaijin_."

Kagome's back stiffened at the word again, the way she did when he had used the word for the first time. He almost expected her to whirl around at him and yell—after all hadn't she been that feisty little spitfire that was Inuyasha's lass?

"Well then," Kagome replied, reminding herself to be patient. "Why would a demon lord like you need a human's help now, hmm?"

"Tell me if I have a choice."

Kagome thought about his words, and shook her head.

"No. Sometimes you don't. Sometimes it's damned if you do, damned if you don't."

Kagome walked deeper into the forest, hacking away any obstructive foliage with the machete she had brought. She heard Sesshoumaru's voice speaking to her, but his words were muffled by the deafening sounds of the wilderness. A loud shrill cacophony was playing in the forest—the cicadas and the birds and the insects were singing at the top of their tiny lungs. She turned around and squinted at him in the distance, even though she had not strayed too far. Sesshoumaru was now an entity of white, blotted out by greens and browns. _Like the way he had in my vision_, she thought, and a chill trickled down to her tailbone.

"I want to know what lies ahead for my empire," Sesshoumaru declared, and this time his voice was loud and clear, just beside her left ear.

"What do your history texts tell you?"

Kagome kicked at the soil beneath her feet. She thought she saw white tubers peeking out below, and eventually her foot unearthed a patch of daikon radishes. Using the arrow, dark with pigeon blood, she dug further and tore through their thin roots. She weighed a radish in her palm, noting how they were always smaller than the ones back in 21st century supermarkets, but they will do.

"There is one thing you need to know first," Kagome told him. "My history books do not speak of you."

She glanced up to meet his flint gaze, and realized he didn't quite understand.

"Sesshoumaru, in my world, demons like you do not _exist_."

Something flashed across his features, lightning-like but plain enough for Kagome to catch. She returned her attention to the radishes, a smile on her face.

_And I thought his face was made of stone._

"Do you mean you humans _forget_ us when you write your history?"

"Our books speak much of the political intrigue between the human warlords. I can tell you everything you want to know about what happened in the _Sengoku Jidai_—or rather, what's _going_ to happen twenty or thirty years from now. But there is no information whatsoever on demon lords or demon empires. Maybe you're right. Maybe we humans forgot about you."

She stood up and shook her satchel that had grown heavier. "Either way your kind would cease to exist in five hundred years."

A powerful force swept her body, and for a moment, Kagome felt the strange sensation of flying. The world was flashing past her, and the inertia of being hurled stole her senses in a breath. Then, after what seemed like forever, her back crashed against a tree trunk with a loud _thwack_!

Something seized her throat, tight as a clamp, and it pulled her up, up until her body rose parallel to the tree trunk. Sesshoumaru's face hovered before hers, dark and malevolent. Kagome dared herself to meet his eyes—streaks of crimson were dancing against yellow—and she gave back a cold unflinching gaze. She was careful to conceal the mind-numbing pain that pulsed like hot waves across her back.

"You do not just meddle. But you lie too," Seshoumaru said through gritted teeth.

Kagome grabbed his wrist at her throat.

"Don't _touch_ me, demon."

Sesshoumaru released her and she fell in a heap. Within seconds, she had managed to pick herself up, gather her satchel lying crumpled on the ground, and strode off with her back ramrod straight. She executed these actions with such peculiar grace that it surprised him.

He watched her, the fire in his eyes still dancing.

_Goddamned human. Goddamned everything._

Kagome gasped aloud when she knelt near the bonfire, but she couldn't moan or cry out—somehow it would hurt even more. The blinding pain at her back suggested she might have torn some tissues, and but what she _really_ hoped was that her spine was still intact. She soothed her back with one cautious hand, cursing under her breath.

_That bastard. What makes he think I'll tell him anything?_

She glanced at Kirara, now curled small and weak in a dark corner between two buttress tree roots, her open-mouthed breaths ragged and shallow. The medicine Kagome brought was not potent enough for Kirara, and the pus was sopping through the bandages fast. Kagome sighed, and for the first time after she had made the decision to find Inuyasha alone, a sense of utter misery enveloped her like a cold, unforgiving rain.

_I could have killed Kirara then. And Sango would never forgive me._

It was impossible to continue with her mission now, since Kirara was badly injured. She could only wait for god-knows-how-long.

"The Lady Dowager has a new message for you, milord."

"Speak," Sesshoumaru said, although—as usual—he was not in a mood to listen.

"She empathizes the contempt you hold for the humans but she wishes that you reserve your prejudice, just for once."

A laugh erupted from the Sesshoumaru's throat—a sardonic yelp that rumbled low and broke the cool tranquility of the night. The messenger's lip quivered.

_Empathize. What a word._

"She has no idea," Sesshoumaru said through a smile. "She has no idea how stupid and ignorant they are. And they forget too easily."

And then like a fluttering birdsong, the sound of Rin's tiny footsteps patted from the back of his mind, and the smile disappeared from his face.

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

"No, milord."

"Then leave."

The messenger left. A flicker of lightning flashed, illuminating the edges of the sullen clouds that were forming. The air seemed to buzz, teeming with activity. Sesshoumaru looked up and stood there for a long time, as the wind began to slowly whip his face and hair. But the rain never came.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_I betrayed him. _

Rin played with the hair pin in her hands, twirling it around with her fingers. It was cast in gold, and the ornament was shaped like a flower, sparkling with at least three different jewels.

She was thirteen now, pretty enough to win many suitors. But only one was daring enough to catch a good hold on her, and that was Asano from the Kawabata family. And how could she deny him? His family was regarded highly in the other village. They were prosperous, rich, and influential. Rin was a nobody. She should be honoured they would want an orphan like her to be part of their family.

The hairpin gleamed in the lamplight.

_I betrayed him and he called me an ingrate. He would never forgive me._

"_Rin-chan!_" someone called from outside. "The carriage is here to pick you up!"

Rin started and her hand gripped in reflex. Using a comb, she wound her hair up and tight, before slipping the hair pin through. She smoothed her sides of her hair in the mirror, and found herself unable to look in her own eyes. Her chest shuddered.

"Please forgive me," she whispered to no one. Then she turned and headed out in the sun and to the carriage, which would bring her to Asano and her new life.

A few nights later, a bad dream ravaged through Kagome's sleep. Inuyasha left her because he did not love her anymore, and all her sacrifices were for nothing. He refused to even look at her face in the darkness; his back to her like a cold stranger. The redness of his _haori _was vivid and intense as fresh blood —how could she have known she was dreaming?—his voice a cruel sharp dagger that stabbed into her ears, then heart.

Kagome woke up crying hard like a child. It had been a long time since her tears last fell like so, and that last time she had sworn to herself, no more. _No more._

And this time, as her body lay wracked with teeth-chattering sobs, Kagome swore she would leap into the nearby gorge if her dream came true.

Morning came, and as she was swiping the dead leaves scattering at the entrance of her tent, Kagome's foot knocked into a small object that made a clinking sound when it toppled to the ground. She picked it for inspection and squinted, a slight discomfort pricking her swollen, puffy eyes.

The object was a small dainty vial, made of ceramic, she presumed. A strange bitter smell spiked her nostrils when Kagome put it under her nose. It was some sort of ointment, no doubt, and the first immediate word that gave birth in her mind was _Kirara_.

It was as if someone knew the wound was getting worse—from where she was standing, Kagome could smell the stench of pus emanating from Kirara—and that Kagome was on her last bandages.

She stared at the vial in her hand and wondered if it was meant to heal, or kill.

_Should I, or not?_

It was one of the biggest gambles she had ever considered in her life.

"_Gaijin_," he called her.

His voice pierced through the rush of water. For a moment Kagome thought it was an illusion of her ears, but no, she opened her eyes and someone was standing outside, his image a blur against the cascade. Kagome hated herself for responding to that derogatory term.

"It's rude of you to come here and interrupt while I'm meditating," she told him. She breathed in deep, her lips pursed tight. "It must really run in your family, this rudeness."

"What are you doing here alone in Mount Takao?" Sesshoumaru asked instead.

"Why would it interest you?"

His figure shifted behind the water. Kagome couldn't see his face, not that she wanted too. Her back still hurt when she bent over, dammit.

"My interests are not for your knowledge."

"Then stop bothering me."

"I will not stop until I get what I want. That is, the information you owe me."

"I don't owe you anything!" Kagome snapped, then regretted it in an instant. To think she was in harmony with nature just less than five minutes ago, and now because of him, she had thrown all that effort away.

"So now you are proving to be an ungrateful creature after all, just like how I assume all humans to be."

"I'm not ungrateful, you—" Her jaw clinched tight. Suddenly she understood what Sesshoumaru was referring to, and everything made perfect sense to her now. But still, he was being so annoying to the likes of a stubborn cockroach.

"I did not ask for your help." Pride stifled the edges of her voice. "But thank you, anyway."

"Thank me the right way, _gaijin_," he said.

Kagome's hand clutched the _kotodama _rosary in her palm tightly. "For the last time, stop calling me that."

Sesshoumaru was silent and motionless for a while. Kagome wondered if she had offended the demon lord—if so, served him right. Then a dark shadow loomed large and close, and the water curtain began to part in the middle, as something began to penetrate through it. Kagome froze in the dark space, her body turned to steel. When she realized Sesshoumaru's face was entering the barrier that separated her from the outside world, a jolt zapped throughout her like electricity, and she stood up right, her back slamming against the rocky wall.

_Gods, the kind of pain you let me suffer!_

The crevice was too small for him to enter. Sesshoumaru angled his upper body forward to meet the human, letting only his head cross the waterfall up to his neck. He hated confined places like this one, and frowned with distaste. The _gaijin_ stood backing away against the wall, her arms tightly folded, perturbed that her little space had been invaded. Never mind that he was wet now. She needed to be persuaded, and he learned quickly from the last time that force created no effect on her.

"I shall give you a deal," Sesshoumaru told her. His voice bounced back against the cramped walls and jumped into her ears. "And be grateful, for this Sesshoumaru never deals with you lot."

"Just get on with it," Kagome muttered, staring at her shoes. She was hating every second of this negotiation, especially since she knew very well that her negotiator would not leave her so easily.

"Provide me with the information I need, and I will stop calling you that."

"That's all?"

Sesshoumaru lifted his chin. The water gushed down his back, drenching his clothes and pelt. "You human are never satisfied with what is offered. What more do you want?"

Kagome shook her head. She dreaded this part. She dreaded having to explain things about herself, things that would always be met with incredulous looks, as though she was a pilfering little liar. She rubbed her arm, still refusing to meet his face.

"I can't just tell you things like that. I need to do my research first. And for that," she paused, "I will have to access the Internet or go to the library."

Sesshoumaru's chin rose even higher.

"I need to go back home, to the future," she said.

"Then what is stopping you?" he simply asked.

"I can't, not when I've yet to settle what I came here for."

"And what nature of business could someone like you possibly have here?"

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed. "That is strictly personal."

Sesshoumaru remained still, and Kagome thought he would never let her be. Then without a word, his head withdrew back out of the water.

"Go northwest," she heard him say. "I will find you again once you are ready."

"_Northwest_?" she repeated, her voice weak.

"He's there."

Then the shadow behind the water disappeared, and Kagome gasped out in relief, her knees giving way. She sat slumped against the wall. Sesshoumaru's last words echoed back in her head like a grim reminder, and suddenly a small glint of hope presented itself. An inexplicable wave of fatigue coursed through Kagome, and she felt her last strand of energy ebb out from her body.


End file.
